Archive for July, 2010

And last but not least from our style spotting bonanza at the 1234 festival, we have an accessories focused post. Its one that takes me down memory lane..

We’ve been spotting the odd crepe soled shoe, otherwise known as ‘brothel creepers’ or ‘beetle crushers’, on some cool boys and few girls around town, but Saturday’s event sealed this shoe styles ascent back into fashion consciousness. We have also been aware of Dr Martens coming through again, but have felt a little unconvinced- again, until Saturday. You girls know how to rock a manly shoe with style and panache!

I lived in a much loved pair of crepe soled shoes when I was doing my Art foundation many moons ago (suffice to say that it was the late 80’s!). I can even remember buying them on Floral Street in Covent Garden. Was there a Rokit store there then, opposite Jones? I thought I looked so cool in them with my Dicky Dirts dungarees, a pair of Paul Smith silk boxer shorts and a vintage bustier. I must look out a photo… or maybe not!

So, we hope you liked yesterdays post cos there’s more! My team did such a great job at 1234 that we have lots and lots of great shots to share. Today its all about denim shorts, cut off so high in many cases that the pocket bags are showing. Its a look we love, and may well be rocking if there’s sunshine in Lulworth this weekend at Camp Bestival!

Click here for more on ‘Denim’ and click here for more on ‘Events’. Also, if denim is your thing and you’d like to see more, we produce a fabulous monthly ‘Denim’ report. Why not contact your nearest agent and make plans to have a look?

On Saturday 24th a few of our coolest “Blinkettes” headed down to the 1234 festival in Shoreditch. This fringe festival played host to over 40 bands and DJ collectives across four stages so there was plenty of choice in this years line up which features names like Rolo Tomassi, Dum Dum Girls, These New Puritans and Kids on Bridges- as well as inimitable Peter Hook. We think it was well worth the £20 ticket price to have this kind of festival feeling right on our doorstep.

As anticipated from the location, it was a brilliant place to style spot, with the achingly cool East London crowd rocking their best ‘laissez faire’ looks (we know you were all secretly planning your outfits for days, but don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone). There was lots of 90’s grunge- high waisted denim cut offs with DM’s and dark lipstick. Very Alice Dellal/ Courtney Love. We also spotted a few vintage romantics- bowler hats, ankle sock, boots and vintage ‘dress up’. Last but not least, the usual festival classics- that timeless Boho rock chick in floaty dresses with biker boots, antique jewelery, tousled locks and pouch bags.

Here’s a few of our favourite shots for you, and there’s more to follow over the next couple of days! Thanks to Amy and Jessica for the great work.

Harvey Nichols‘ windows are looking completely fabulous this week. Back in the 90’s, when this store was THE fashion destination and Selfridges or Liberty were merely functional ‘department stores’, Harvey Nics windows were an event in themselves. Winning awards for their brilliantly creative approach. I think I could be right in saying that they were one of the innovators of using store window space as a totally creative area, building fantasy fashion playgrounds where the product was almost an aside. We think the current VM team is doing a sterling job in replicating that excitement.

The current scheme features this amazing dress constructed wholly from wooden pegs (hence the post title!), alongside a piano that seemed to be made from cassette tapes and a sports car made from battalions of tiny plastic soldiers. Why? Who cares! It looks fabulous and that’s got to be 99% of what fashion is about.

What a whirlwind on the “Blink” blog this week. First we posted about Peckham, then we were in Copenhagen and now we have a post from sunny East Sussex. Will the glamor never end!

As tweeted on Monday, I was up bright and early on Tuesday to head down to Ardingly. I know you’re thinking what could be in a small and twee country village to get me out of a cozy bed and away from the computer for a day. Well, something special let me tell you!

Ardingly is fast becoming less of the insider secret that it once was. Its a massive antiques trade fair with over 1,500 stalls set through the fields and sheds of the South of England Showground. I come from a long line of rummagers, negotiators and eagle eyed spotters- better known as antique dealers to the general public- so this is my idea of heaven. Its a great place to find inspiration in things you didn’t even expect to strike a chord with you. Suddenly you realize that those really massive, clunky German pottery vases in strange, bright glazes are really quite beautiful, or maybe its about a fantastic graphic spotted on a retro Belgian poster. There is more direct fashion inspiration if required too, with many stalls specializing in textiles, amazing historical clothing and accessories. Its a very tempting place so I would use a phrase of my Grandmother’s “Keep your hand on your ha’penny” (actually I’m not sure she was talking about money, but anyway…). If you are set for a spend up, cash is king, but many stalls take a cheque and even credit cards!

Here are some shots of things we thought were beautiful and inspirational, and some of them even came home with us…

Our brilliant “Blink” contributor, Asta, has headed to Copenhagen for the Summer (we are not at all jealous… much!) and to our delight she has agreed to do a little work, capturing some of the spirit of this stylish city and sending it back to us. And here we are sharing it with you!

So, in the real world, its full on Summer so we have some great sunshiny looks for you. However, in the retail world its Autumn, so get ready for some seasonal schizophrenia in the next few reports and over the next few weeks on the blog.

Situated on the 10th floor of a disused multi-storey car park in Peckham, Frank’s Café is in an unlikely spot for a ‘Campari Bar’ and art space… until you discover the fantastic views.

Frank’s is the brainchild of Hannah Barry and Sven Muedener of the Hannah Barry Gallery in Peckham, and this is its second outing after a successful launch last Summer. They commissioned the temporary minimal wooden pavilion from Practice Architecture’s Lettice Drake and Paloma Gormley (daughter of Anthony Gormley). Drake and Gormley decided upon a simple and clean lined structure to house the bar and kitchen leaving lots of space to appreciate the stunning London skyline. Frank’s is run by Frank Boxer and head chef Michael Davies, who met working at the wonderful Anchor & Hope in Waterloo.

The outdoor sculpture exhibition, Bold Tendencies III, is a mixture of the bold, bizarre and beautiful with an eccentric and playful edge (including Spongebob Squarepants riding a motorcycle). This eclectic mix suits the vibrant, urban setting as well as the stylish and creative clientele.

Around only until 30th September, Franks is a must-see for those interested in experiencing a new side to London. Who knew we’d be making plans to hit Peckham!

Thanks to Nat and Cat for helping us on this inspiring post.

N.B. Beware that Frank’s is pretty hard to locate, even once you have found the car park. We recommend you bribe a regular attendee with the offer of a few cocktails in return for acting as guide!

We spotted this in the super luxurious Designer show room in Liberty. We hope that they’ll forgive is for getting our camera out in store, but this was just so irresistible. Its typical of the innovative, humorous and quirky VM style for this stand out store. Very English-ly eccentric. Anyway, there are some sayings here that will suit many of your experiences this weekend so we thought this was perfect for our ‘Friday Fun’ slot.

Its a look that we have featured previously, in various seasons. Its a sure fire winner from a style and a commercial perspective- so whether you are a fashion lover of a fashion brand, this is one for you.

The joy of black and white. Its a timeless combination that’s sure fire stylishly spot on. We have been stashing these streetstyle shots for the last few weeks. Its shows the variety of looks that work within this palette, from wonderfully historical to super flirty, stopping off at graphically sporty along the way.

Click here for more posts on colour. If you are inspired by our colour palette posts, we’d love you to see the pantone referenced colour palettes that are featured in our monthly reports. Why not contact your nearest agent and ask to have a look at some of the recent issues?

Before for the gig last night, the clouds gathered and a smattering of rain fell. Somerset House looks beautiful under any circumstances, but my hairdo does not. Up came the brollies and the festival ‘whatever the weather’ spirit kicked in. This was my first time seeing these guys live and I was not disappointed. The moody lighting and amazing sound was enhanced by the beauty of the location as the rain thankfully faded away.

The hauntingly melodious voice of female vocalist, Romy Madley-Croft, made me think of Tracey Thorn from Everything but the Girl. I think this trip down an 80’s Memory Lane was also bought on by the male vocalist, Oliver Sim, whose slinky moves and guitar stance was like a smoothed out version of Joe Strummer, mixed in with bit of earnest late 80’s indie. These two both on guitar, along with Jamie Smith on keyboards and drums, created a stunningly atmospheric sound.

Hopefully we might have some coverage from the Florence gig for you too, and some great festival stuff to come.

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